Socket

You use open source software? Do you know if the direct and transitive dependencies in those packages are safe? No? You need Socket. 

At Socket, we’re transforming how organizations protect their applications from the rising threat of software supply chain attacks. Founded in 2021, Socket offers a developer-first platform that proactively detects and blocks malicious packages in real time, securing the open source ecosystem that powers modern software. Socket is backed by a16z, Abstract Ventures, Elad Gil, South Park Commons, Village Global, Unusual Ventures, WndrCo, and dozens of CISOs and world-leading business leaders.

Account Executive

2024
Q4 - 102.5% to ramp ACV target and 248% to pipeline target  

Other contributions in 2024:
2nd ranked attainment achiever on sales team (#1 in ramping class) 
Closed first deal 3 months ahead of ramp goal
Helped lead interview process for first US SDR role

Founding US Account Executive

Drata

Consistent top achiever (in the top 10 of reps QoQ in a sales org of 30+).

Quota Achievement: 

2024 - 100.5%
Q2 - 114% (got things back on track) 
Q1 - 87% (took a minute to get pipeline built coming back from paternity leave) 

2023 - 89% 
Q4 - Paternity leave 
Q3 - 102%
Q3 - 82% (a top 10 rep during this time)
Q2 - 82% (a top 10 rep during this time, top overall rep in May for entire business) 
Q1 - 89% (a top 10 rep during this time)

2022 - 115% 
Q4 - 112% (top 5 rep)
Q3 - 117% (top 5 rep)

All-time Stats:
- $1,180,997 new business won 
- Attainment 99%
- 89 net new customers 
- Sold deals up to $135k in size

Other contributions:
- Selected to mentor new AEs and SDRs
- Given special projects to work with the product team
- Selected to join task force to improve POC process

What I sold and who I sold to: 
- Compliance automation SaaS platform to help companies achieve compliance faster, pass audits with flying colors, and win more business. 
- Highly technical and non-tehcnical personas. Founders, CTOs, COOs, VP of Engineering, and other IC-level operations, engineering, and compliance folks.

Censys

Quota Achievement: 

2022
Q1 - 148% (#1 achieving rep in sales org)
#1 overall rep for attainment on the Mid-Enterprise team 

Other Achievements: 
- During tenure in closing roles I closed 22% of the entire customer base adding $1.2M in ARR.

What I sold and who I sold to: 
- Helped CISOs sleep better at night by closing the gaps in their external digital attack surface with a SaaS platform. 
- Sold to highly technical CISOs, Heads of Security, Attack Surface Managers, and IC-level security team members like security engineers.

Mid-Enterprise Account Executive

Quota Achievement: 
- #1 Rep in sales org for attainment during tenure (95%)
- Deal sizes up to $125,000
- Average deal size $51,000
- Won 16 enterprise logos (Some logos include the likes of Deloitte, Crowdstrike, Nubank, Swiss Life, Carhartt, Coinbase, Falabella)

What I sold and who I sold to: 
- Helped threat hunting teams discover forgotten, rogue or newly acquired internet assets using our SaaS internet data scanning platform. 
- Highly technical buyers CISOs, VPs of Threat Detection, Threat Analysts, and other IC-level security team members like security engineers and threat hunters.

Top achiever - Promoted twice in first year 

Quota Achievement:
- 85% all-time (Top Performer to quota in sales org)
- $177,461 new ACV closed won
- 11 new logos won

ISR + SDR

Employee #40 and first full-time BDR

Quota Achievement:
- All-time - 95%
- 265 meetings set

Other Achievements:
- Created a campaign that generated 32 additional meetings over the course of quarter
- Set company records for most meetings set in a day and month

Founding Enterprise SDR

Cisco

Quota Achievement:

All-time: 100%

Other achievements: 
- Only Duo BDR to be promoted from SMB directly to an Enterprise BDR role (skipping Mid-Market)
- Over $1.2 million in pipeline sourced

What I sold and who I sold to: 
- Simplified the multi-factor auth process for Enterprise companies with easy and affordable MFA software.
- Worked with CISOs, Heads of Security, Directors of Authentication, and the IC-level security team

Enterprise Sales Development Rep

2019
121% - All time (highest on team)
$4.2M pipeline sourced (highest on team)
500+ opportunities sourced (highest on team)
Top achiever's club '19

What I sold & who I sold to: 
- Simplified the multi-factor auth process for SMB companies with easy and affordable MFA software. 
- Worked with highly technical personas: CISOs, Heads of Security, Directors of Authentication, and the IC-level security team

SMB/MM Sales Development Rep

Duo Security

Hired at Duo during the acquisition by Cisco.

Sales Development Representative (Acquired by Cisco for $2.35B)

For over 6 years, I've been involved in the infosec community helping engineers solve challenges in identity access management, threat hunting, attack surface discovery, compliance and supply chain security. 

Trust between sellers and engineers is broken and needs to be restored. 

I've been focused on this restoration since the early days at my first security startup. 

I've spoken with hundreds of security pros and business leaders and helped them solve challenge after challenge in their security stack. 

From stealth mode startups to Fortune 10 organizations, I've worked with them all. 

My passion isn't to just close deals. It’s to help connect engineers and leaders with tools that make their lives easier, make them look good, and protect their teams and assets. 

I'm obsessed with earning and keeping this trust.

When I'm not working I:
🏌🏼‍♂️  Play golf
🥾  Hike with my wife
📚  Read (at least 10 pages a day)
🎥  Watch movies (400+ reviewed on IMDB)

Nick Bontrager

StackAware

StackAware is the leader in artificial intelligence governance, risk, and compliance. We help you win with AI while protecting your data, your customers, and your reputation.

Founder

Cloud Security Alliance

Managing complex cloud-based software dependencies is table stakes for effective AI governance. So I was honored to help the CSA:

• Set industry standards for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) risk management while spearheading the publication of the software supply chain section of CSA’s widely-hailed and comprehensive guide for securely using SaaS products.
• By contributing to the paper "Securing LLM Backed Systems: Essential Authorization Practices" as a reviewer.

AI and SaaS Governance Expert

Privacera

AI security is all about data governance. My time at Privacera showed me what it takes to protect sensitive data of Fortune 500 customers like Nike, Autodesk, and Corning. As leader on the product management team, I:

• Drove the product roadmap for Privacera UserSync, merging business and technical insights to ensure release of market-leading platform for identifying, classifying, and protecting sensitive data in cloud- and on premises-based sources.
• Spearheaded the company's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) improvement effort, developing detailed telemetry, security, and observability requirements.
• Created and implemented the company shared security model, explicitly identifying cybersecurity responsibility for various stakeholders, including customers and third-party service providers.
• Launched our first coordinated vulnerability disclosure program to facilitate confidential receipt of reports from cybersecurity researchers and ensure rapid remediation of identified security issues.
• Developed, coordinated, and oversaw publication of the first official product support policy, clarifying software end-of-life timelines, 3rd party software support plans, and backward/forward compatibility contracts.
• Overhauled the Privacera Platform pricing model to reflect value derived by customers while also capturing maximum revenue possible.

Data Security and Governance Product Manager

Securing data flows is an absolute must for cyber-physical products. And in support of enterprise customers like Caterpillar, Volvo, and Flowserve, I:

• Ensured the secure development and deployment of ThingWorx Industrial IoT platform.
• Coordinated with software engineers, quality assurance testers, and other stakeholders while applying the Agile development process.
• Improved customer security by ensuring delivery of edge device connection monitoring, file upload management, enhanced auditing, and Azure Active Directory integration features.
• Led the company-wide, multi-product identity and access management (IAM) strategy, roadmap, and partner program.
• Supervised implementation of application security program including static, dynamic, and software composition analysis as part of product continuous integration pipeline as well as regular threat modeling, penetration testing, and other vulnerability prevention and detection methods.
• Reduced median time to resolution of potential security defects by 60% through overhaul of company vulnerability management policy and procedures.
• Developed and oversaw implementation of containerized software security, maintenance, and continuous delivery procedures as part of company Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) transition strategy.
• Spearheaded the ThingWorx Compliance Hub, providing detailed guidance for customers seeking compliance with System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001, Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), and other regulatory frameworks.
• Conceived and launched the ThingWorx Shared Security Model, clarifying cybersecurity responsibilities for PTC, customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Designed, built, and implemented an automated bug triage system. Developed and coded the algorithm that factored in customer satisfaction, past and anticipated bookings, as well as functional and security impacts.

Cybersecurity Product Manager for Internet of Things (IoT) Analytics Platform

U.S. House of Representatives

You know who has the most complex data sets and systems in the world? The federal government. Dealing with this sprawl drove home for me the importance of clear policies and guidance. While working on Capitol Hill, I:

• Advised the Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, other Members of Congress, and staff regarding cybersecurity and counterterrorism issues. 
• Provided policy analysis briefings to the Committee Chair in preparation for 60+ national media appearances.
• Drafted Public Law 115-331, the Homeland Security Data Framework Act, codifying government data sharing processes.
• Led a yearlong investigation of information exchange among 13 government organizations; authored a report with 34 oversight recommendations entitled "Reviewing the Department of Homeland Security’s Intelligence Enterprise."
• Represented the Committee during bilateral discussions with European Union Commission, Council, and Parliament regarding transatlantic cooperation in the fields of cyber crime, counterterrorism, and border security.

Congressional Staffer, Federal Data Program Oversight

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Founded after 9/11 to stop future attacks, the National Counterterrorism Center sits at the crossroads of a huge amount of sensitive data. After being personally selected by the senior Marine officer to serve as active duty military detailee to NCTC, I:

• Briefed the NCTC Director – counterterrorism advisor to President of the United States – on key threats.
• Was personally commended by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director for “outstanding assistance” to FBI investigative efforts.
• Identified terrorist leaders and operatives by applying financial, communications, and social network analysis techniques to Intelligence Community data; disseminated leads to operational customers.
• Tracked extremist propaganda, messaging, and intentions via social media.
• Trained 10 analysts in novel techniques to parse and analyze intelligence datasets with Palantir’s Gotham software.
• Became an expert in computer network exploitation threats from nation-state, terrorist, and criminal actors as well as digital network intelligence tools, methods, exploitation, and outputs.

Targeting Analyst, National Counterterrorism Center

United States Marine Corps

While serving as second-in-command of a Marine reconnaissance company, I honed my ability to oversee complex programs, synthesize data, and manage risk while I:

• Led Joint Riverine Training Team on mission to Perú and trained 300+ Infantes de Marina (Peruvian Marines), entirely in Spanish.
• Managed 2000+ weapons, radios, and optics during the transition from a legacy equipment database to its cloud-based replacement.

Company Executive Officer, First Reconnaissance Battalion

I had the honor of commanding 1st Platoon of Charlie Company before and during its overseas deployment. In this capacity, I:

• Led a 23 person cross-functional team during 20 counterinsurgency missions in southwestern Afghanistan.
• Achieved a 100% success rate in avoiding improvised explosive devices by custom building an integrated hardware-software patrol tracking system to analyze Global Positioning System (GPS) data. I developed the product roadmap from existing designs, collected user requirements, built and deployed a prototype, and evaluated performance data prior to real-world employment. Subsequently, I trained additional platoons in system use, increasing adoption by 300%.
• Was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device.

Platoon Commander, First Reconnaissance Battalion

In preparation for taking command of one of the Marine Corps' most fearsome fighting units, I finished the Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC) ranked 2 of 36 students and graduated from the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school.

Reconnaissance Officer-in-Training

During my first overseas tour as new Marine lieutenant, I:

• Drove the operations of a 10,000+ person organization by personally advising its Commanding General.
• Presented him with 200 daily intelligence briefings and 8 detailed battlefield assessments.
• Supervised 5 analysts during the production of 145 daily intelligence summaries, 27 political-military studies, and 10 quantitative visualizations.
• Was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for “inspirational leadership.”

Intelligence Officer, First Marine Division

Amazon and Samsung didn't assess their AI-related risk properly, and got burned.

The weakest link?

Lack of processes and guardrails.

- "There's no governance in place, not even an AI policy."
- "We're moving at Mach 7" when it comes to AI products.
- "We're rolling out dozens, if not hundreds, of AI-powered tools."

Sound familiar? These are all things security leaders have said to me.

What they - and you - desperately need is a comprehensive and structured approach to managing the resulting risk.

While revolutionary - and critical to any business that wants to survive - artificial intelligence can create cybersecurity, compliance, and privacy headaches.

You need the right tools to navigate these competing demands.

Dealing with internal and external stakeholders can be even more demanding, requiring not just an understanding of the issues but the ability to communicate them effectively and quickly.

Here's what your plan should look like:

1. Identify the business needs. Successfully automating your operations with AI will probably be the difference between your company's success and failure, so you'll need to look throughout your organization to understand where to deploy these tools, and in what priority.

2. Analyze the security, privacy, and compliance risks. How is your SaaS vendor managing your data? Are you subject to the GDPR, CCPA, or any other data privacy obligations (hint: you probably are)? What frameworks (e.g. ISO 42001, HITRUST, EU AI Act) do you need to comply with? You'll need to know these things before heading to the next step.

3. Apply controls. This includes making sure you have a company-wide policy, creating a structured framework for risk decisions, and deploying the right technical safeguards to your AI systems. You'll need to train up your team on all of these things as well.

So, if you're a CXO or VP in healthcare who wants to launch AI-enabled products without fear,

it’s time to look at your AI-related risk NOW.

Need an assessment?

DM me.

taplio

The Battle

Nick Bontrager

Walter Haydock

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